MEDIA RELEASE – May 03rd 2013
CELEBRATING WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
The 03rd May is celebrated worldwide as
World Press Freedom day, as per the proclamation by the United Nations (UN) at
its General Assembly in 1993, in line with Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. This followed the 26th session of UNESCO
General Conference in 1991, which adopted the Windhoek Declaration, a statement of
principles calling for a free, independent and pluralistic media throughout the
world. The Declaration affirms that a free press is essential to the existence
of democracy and a fundamental human goal.
In this financial year 2013/14, as South Africa, we celebrating and mark 10 years of the
Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), 20 years of the first broadcast
of the first Community Radio in SA (Bush Radio), 25 April 1993 and 20 years of
the National Community Radio Forum (NCRF), 20th
anniversary of World Press Freedom Day and more than 19 years of
independent press in South Africa. An opportunity exists for all South Africans to reflect on the key
milestones achieved in the quest to achieve media freedom and celebrate the fundamental principles of media freedom enshrined in the
Constitution Act of 1996 (17 years ago), defend and protect media freedom, and
pay tribute to media activists/journalists who lost their lives in the line of
duty.
South
Africa has undergone profound political and economic transformation over the
last 19 years, resulting in new and strong political institutions that underpin
democracy and a macro economic framework that encourages greater freedom and
competition. The Constitution Act No.108 of 1996 protects and provides for the
freedom of the media, freedom of expression and access to information. South Africa
enacted many laws that gives meaning and effect to the Constitution Act like
ICASA Act, MDDA Act, Access to Information Act, Promotion of Administrative
Justice Act, Electronic Communications Act of 2005, Broadcasting Act of 1999,
etc. including Chapter 9 of the Constitution which sets up institutions to
support democracy. The MDDA, which is tasked with building
an environment where a diverse, vibrant and creative media flourishes and
reflects the needs of all South Africans, invites all
South Africans to remember and celebrate World Press Freedom Day.
The MDDA, with limited budget of R233m
accumulatively since 2004, has supported more than 484 media projects,
throughout the length and breadth of South Africa, in all the 9 provinces,
focusing on historically disadvantaged communities, using indigenous languages.
As we all celebrate World Freedom Day, the Agency firmly believes
that the freedom of the press and diversity of the media is a pre-requisite for a
flourishing democracy. We should remember that
media freedom is for all not just media practitioners. We must strive to ensure
that every citizen has access to a range of choice of diverse media. We must
ensure that rural communities have access to all media including television
services and print media, in a language of their choice. We must ensure
responsible journalism and that our media is transformed to reflect South
Africa in every respect. We must also support and create an enabling
environment for media development and diversity. Whereas, South Africans are
celebrating legislative guarantees of press freedom, freedom of expression and
editorial independence; it became clear after the Parliamentary processes in
2011, that a lot of work is needed and commitment to ensure the majority of
South Africans enjoy these rights.
In
September 2011, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications held
Parliamentary discussions on this question. Media stakeholders including the
Print and Digital Media of South Africa (PDMSA) confirmed the essence of the
MDDA report on Trends of Ownership and Control of Media in SA (July 2009) which
indicated that the pace of transformation in the print media is too slow for a
sector that is so critical in the sustainability of our democracy. PDMSA
reported (at the time) that only an average of 14% of ownership of the
mainstream print media is in black (historically disadvantaged) hands and women
participation in board and senior management is limited to 4.44%. This
revelation, now 19 years after the first democratic elections in 1994, suggest
that all stakeholders honestly and dispassionately confront the question of
media transformation and diversity in the interest of all citizens and
sustainability of our democracy. Following these discussions, Parliament held a
Parliamentary Print Media Transformation Indaba 18th June 2012 at
ICASA, where the Portfolio Committee on Communications noted that print media
transformation needed to be fast-tracked to ensure the print media industry was
a mirror of the present democratic dispensation. In September 2012, the Agency noted the launch of the Print and Digital
Media Transformation Task team (PDMTT) initiated by the Print and Digital Media
SA (PDMSA). The PMDTTT is yet to release its
final report on the findings to stakeholders.
It is
therefore critical to appreciate the broader context, as we celebrate 2013
World Press Freedom Day, to emphasize the significant role media can play in
helping people in all their diversity to communicate with each other in order
to strengthen our democracy, promote a culture of human rights and enable all
to participate fully in our economic growth and speed up transformation and
development. Information is knowledge and power. This can only be achieved if
every citizen irrespective of their social class, (where ever located, rural or
urban, poor or rich) has access to a choice of a diverse range of media. Media
also provides a window of transparency in government and injects life to a
country’s economy by publishing financial and market information to citizens, allowing
them to participate freely and fruitfully in their country’s economy. Access to
communication and information empowers citizens, facilitates participatory
democracy, and assists in defending, advancing and deepening our democracy.
The
Agency will continue to provide support to the development of more voices in
the media through funding, capacity building programmes, which enable and
empower people to take control of their lives. This will of course enable them
to shape their future as they see fit and completely transform their
communities. This year provides an opportunity for all media in particular our
print media to reflect and consider plans to further its transformation to
reflect the South African society in all respect, ownership and control, management,
content, languages, gender, etc.
Issued by:
Lumko Mtimde, Chief Executive Officer
For further information
please contact: Hariet Mhlanga at (011)
643 1100
Additional
information on MDDA is available on our:
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/
media development and diversity agency
Twitter: @mdda_za
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